The Mage and the Necromancer
by Aria6
Summary: A fantasy story with two men meeting in a pub, and interesting things unfold. Axel/Roxas, please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

It started with a drink.

The pub was dark, dim and grimy. Whores were plying their trade as thieves, murderers and fortune hunters got their drinks from the bar. Even in this dark a place, everyone avoided the shrouded figure in the corner table. The bones hanging from his clothing gave away his profession, although he was only a fresh faced youth. But no one wanted to get too close to a necromancer.

Except for one man. He had his own table, as well, and was as notable in his own way as the necromancer. His robes were also black, but instead of bones they were inscribed with golden symbols. That would have been sufficient to mark him as a mage, but he also wore heavy gold jewelry at his neck and bracers that seemed to have been fashioned of gold and silver. Everyone could see their worth, yet no one even considered stealing from him. The charred corpses of three thieves had made the point earlier in the week.

The mage eyed the necromancer, sipping a glass of the best wine the tavern had to offer. Coming to a decision, he stood up and ambled over. There was an air of carefree confidence about him, and the necromancer looked up from his table with a frown as the man took a seat across from him.

"Mind if I buy you a drink?" He offered easily, gesturing at one of the barmaids. They'd been ignoring the necromancer, clearly hoping he would go away. She glanced at the barman, who gestured for her to go. They might make the young necromancer unwelcome, but they weren't going to get rid of a mage who bought the most expensive wine and beer in the house. "Two glasses of this lovely red. Actually, no, bring out the whole bottle." He decided. It would be a big urn… this wasn't the best wine in the world… but that was fine. The necromancer was looking at him as if he were insane.

"Who are you and why are you buying me a drink?" The mage smiled at the necromancer, sitting back and silently appreciating his good looks. Most people were blinded by the bones, but his golden hair and bright blue eyes were lovely. So were his boyish good looks, although there was a faint scar that ran across his chin to the end of his lip.

"I'm Axel Delamore, mage for hire and general nuisance." He reached up and pushed back his hood, giving the boy a warm smile. The necromancer swallowed, and Axel knew why. He had a powerful physical presence, thanks in part to the bracers he was wearing. "You looked a little depressed so I thought you could use some company."

"Aren't necromancers always depressed?" The boy sounded a touch bitter. Axel almost snorted his drink in his amusement at the thought.

"Not hardly!" He couldn't help but smile as he remembered another necromancer he'd known. "Oh, you can be a bit dour, but I've known plenty of necro's who liven up when they have some drinks in 'em. Not to mention my last, ah, personal friend. We had to best time in a graveyard once." Axel reminisced for a moment then noticed his new friend was staring at him like he had two heads. "Ah, nevermind. It was a long time ago. What's your name?"

"Roxas." The barmaid arrived with the wine and a glass. Axel poured the blonde a drink, which he sipped cautiously. "This is good." He sounded surprised, which was only logical. This kind of dive wasn't noted for the quality of liquor.

"Best they've got. It's not a patch on a really good vintage, but it'll certainly do." Axel quaffed his wine, then considered the table. "Have you eaten? I have a few pastries, some beef jerky, cheese and a whole package of boiled sweets."

"How on earth could you be carrying so much food around? And why?" Roxas sounded suspicious, as though the mage was pulling his leg. Axel laughed lightly, opening a bag. It was suspiciously empty looking.

"Bag of holding, and I have a fast metabolism." He explained, putting the pastries on the table. They were in a waxed paper box, and a little crushed, but quite edible. The jam inside them oozed out temptingly and Roxas examined them before selecting one. The cheese was a nice thick round, unopened, but the jerky had clearly been jerked some time ago. Axel examined it with a slight frown. "The sand probably doesn't add to the flavor. I should find a dog to feed that to." Shrugging, he put it back into the bag and opened the bag of boiled sweets. Popping a candy into his mouth, he rolled it around his mouth before crunching it.

"It doesn't look that bad. I've eaten worse." Roxas reached into his robe and pulled out a knife, cutting the cheese. Axel smiled as the necromancer offered him a slice, and ate it with the wine. They went very well together.

"So have I, but right now I can afford better. Might as well enjoy the moment, eh?" Axel said jokingly and Roxas shook his head slightly. He didn't agree with that. "So where are you from?" There was wariness in Roxas' eyes that didn't surprise him. A lot of necromancers came from humble backgrounds.

"I came from Aperjin. You've probably never heard of it." He said dismissively and Axel grinned.

"I have, actually. It's on the coast of the Ice Fields Lake." Roxas gaped as Axel added cheerfully. "They make great soapstone carvings there. Last time I made a trip, I took a load back and got good prices down in Maltoon." That was the capital of a country hundreds of miles away.

"You've been around." Roxas didn't sound very approving and Axel tilted his head to one side, curious. Although he had an idea why…

"I come from Takatar." He said gently. "It's on the far side of the Spider river, down near the coast of Atracus." Roxas looked a bit surprised. That was very far away. "My family ran the sawmill there. I'm the first person to have magical talent in generations." He flicked his hand and conjured a ball of fire the bounced lightly in the air. "I nearly burned down the sawmill before they realized what was going on and got me an apprenticeship."

"I've heard that's expensive." Roxas said neutrally and Axel knew he was right. The blonde was one of the many necromancers who'd wanted to be a mage, but couldn't afford it. Working with the dead was powerful but still second best, thanks to the social stigma. It could even be hard to make money. Many people wouldn't employ necromancers.

"It certainly is. It was a hardship for the rest of my family, but I've paid them back." Axel said with a smile. For a long time he'd been guilty about that… his family had needed to sell off part of the ownership of the mill, and his brothers and sisters had lived more simply than they would have otherwise. But he'd managed to give his family enough money to get control of the mill again, and dower his sisters. "I've heard it's tough to pass the entrance exams to be a necromancer." It might be second choice, but the necromancers were still picky about their acolytes.

"It is." The blonde said, suddenly uncommunicative. Axel wasn't very surprised. His last black robed friend had shut down the same way, which made him wonder what the trials involved. Rats? Blood? Zombies? Stealing a corpse for the masters? Although they swore they didn't rob graves, no one really believed it.

"Well, let me tell you about the time I visited Aperjin." Axel decided to trust in his charm. It was always a good bet, and soon he had the blonde laughing at his descriptions of the people and events. It helped that the blonde actually knew a few of the people he was talking about.

"I'd say you're lying, but I remember you now. You caught that huge sturgeon out of the lake, the one that weighed more than I did." Roxas chuckled as he remembered, and Axel grinned. That fish had nearly taken him off the boat, a potentially lethal disaster in the icy water. What a way for a wizard to die! But two burley fishermen had grabbed him and they'd finally managed to reel the thing in.

"Three hundred pounds." Axel said proudly. "It was delicious too." The whole town had had a feast. The truth of his stories established, Axel started to venture into more exotic realms. The story of how he'd been chased through the streets of Burmei by a strangely elated mob was also true, alas. "Really, how was I supposed to know that tatty pillow was a holy object? And that healing someone while I was holding it was fulfilling a prophecy?"

"That doesn't sound too dangerous." Roxas said and Axel looked at him pityingly.

"Are you joking? They all wanted relics! They'd have stripped me naked and then shaved off all my hair." Roxas choked and Axel grinned. "And the latecomers would have had to settle for my pubes."

"That's disgusting!" Roxas laughed before taking a deep draught of his wine. Axel noticed that his ears and nose were turning a little red. The blonde took a boiled sweet, crunching it with a crackling sound. "Well, no one's ever likely to do that to me. I think I'm glad."

"There's all kinds of prophecies, though. You might get caught up in one someday." Axel commented before taking another slice of cheese. "And speaking of things that have been foretold, I was wondering. Would you like to join me tonight?" Blunt was his style, and combined with his charm it often worked. The blonde's lips quirked.

"That's been foretold now?" Roxas considered it a moment, then nodded. "Why not?" There really was no reason why not. Mages knew all the spells to deal with venereal diseases, so the likelihood he would catch something was almost nill. And he liked Axel. He was charming and had an amazing physical presence.

"No reason why not at all." Axel smiled and stood, his eyes warm with desire. "I have a private room." It was the best room in the inn, actually a small suite of rooms. Usually a family or a small gang would inhabit it, but now it was all his. Roxas nodded and pushed back his chair, scraping it against the hard wooden floor. He noticed several of the barmaids and a few of the thieves shooting him envious glances. The mage must be well known around here.

All thoughts of that went out of his mind as he entered the man's room. Roxas gaped for a moment at the display of wealth. The floor was covered in woven silk rugs and there were ornate tapestries on the walls, depicting fantastically beautiful scenes in intricate detail. There was a low table of wood and inlaid ivory before a plush sofa covered in red velvet. There was a pillar with a crystal on it…

The crystal aroused Roxas' suspicions. It looked like a diamond. Quartz didn't sparkle like that and flawless crystals were too difficult to make at that size. It could be done, but it was hideously expensive. Lifting a hand to his cheek, he tapped the side of his head and muttered the words to the Spell of True Sight. Then he shook his head as the illusions were stripped away and he saw nothing but a barren room with a rather tatty couch. The only thing on the walls was a dagger that someone had stuck into the wood and left in place. Roxas rather doubted Axel had done it, the blade looked to be cheap copper.

"Why the illusions? Trying to make yourself a better target for thieves?" Roxas asked drily. Axel looked delighted.

"I wondered if you would see through that!" The redhead glanced around his room approvingly. "The illusion is lovely, isn't it? It's a composition of several things I saw in Kash. I got an invite to the Sultan's tents during the invasion of Madica." Roxas frowned. He was starting to wonder how old Axel was. He'd certainly travelled enough. "That's a real diamond by the way, and yes, he brought it on campaign. I have no idea why." Axel undid his belt, dropping it casually onto the couch, and shrugged off his robe. Roxas was interested to see he was wearing very practical cotton pants and a light undershirt. It was almost identical to what he was wearing, in fact.

"But why do you do it?" Roxas asked again as he worked off his own belt. Axel shrugged.

"Partly to impress customers with my skill, partly to amuse myself and partly to annoy thieves. One did try to break in and make off with the diamond. He was less than amused when his hands passed through." Axel was taking off his shirt now and Roxas admired his sleek, completely hairless chest. It didn't look like he plucked or shaved, either. Could that be natural? "Now he's a mouse." Roxas shot him a sharp look but Axel's slightly malicious smile convinced him.

"Remind me not to cross you." He murmured. That was a powerful spell to just toss around, but Axel seemed to have power to spare.

"This from a necromancer? I don't have a repertoire of curses!" Axel joked and Roxas laughed. The redhead was dead right about that. "Come, the bedroom is better." Axel smiled as he showed Roxas the bedroom. It was the one part of his quarters that was nothing but reality. The bed was a four poster, with a fine duck down mattress. He'd bought the whole thing as soon as he set up shop here, and he would sell it when he was getting ready to leave. He slid onto it, displaying his body to best advantage as he pulled off his pants. A small arch of his back, a cock of his hip, and Axel smiled as a blush crept over Roxas' cheeks. The desire in the blonde's eyes was a pleasure to see.

Roxas swallowed hard and tore his gaze away long enough to get rid of his own clothes. When he looked back, Axel was gazing at him with warmth that had nothing to do with love and everything to do with lust. And it made him feel… desirable. Wanted. Crawling onto the bed beside him, he met Axel's eyes and shared warmth for warmth.

Then the redhead's hands were on him, exploring soft skin in ways that made the blonde moan. A hot, heavy body pressed him into the soft mattress and Axel's warm mouth found his, their tongues tangling in a duet of desire.

"Axel." Roxas murmured then gasped as the redhead's penis rubbed against his. He lifted his head and caught one of Axel's nipples, gently licking the sensitive skin. He could tell the redhead liked it, oh yes he could.

"Roxas." Axel's voice was rough with desire and the blonde met his eyes again, feeling a shiver down his spine. Then the redhead's hand was on both their penises, wet with oil. Roxas half-closed his eyes and thrust his hips up as the wizard stroked them both, and gasped as he was met with Axel's thrust, the gentle scrape skin against skin. The oil made it smooth as silk, and Roxas tugged on red spikes, pulling Axel down for another kiss. It was deep and burning hot, as hot as his skin and the coiling pleasure between his legs…

Just when he thought he couldn't take anymore, Axel stopped. Roxas opened his eyes, almost affronted as that beautiful friction abruptly ceased and frowned as the redhead grinned at him.

"I don't want it to end that quickly." He explained, slightly breathless and Roxas understood as oil slick fingers found his entrance. Taking a deep breath, he relaxed, letting the redhead ease past the tight ring of muscle. Those fingers were so long and agile… Roxas shifted his hips, making it easier for the redhead, then gasped as Axel found his prostate. That was good, it was always good, but somehow Axel made it better.

"You're amazing." Axel murmured as he carefully eased his way into the blonde beneath him. Roxas wasn't a virgin, he could tell, but he was still tight. It had probably been a while since the blonde had sex. He had to take it slow and careful, and that had the plus side of making Roxas whimper with desire. The way he half-closed those glorious eyes, the flush on those pale cheeks, made him want to take the boy fast and hard. But not for the first time with a near-stranger. No, that would be for later. Instead he slowed as he invaded that unfamiliar territory, gasping as the blonde tightened around him.

"Please… more…" Roxas whispered and Axel slid almost all the way out before shoving back in, quicker and harder. The blonde cried out, but it was pleasure, not pain. Axel covered his mouth with his, silencing Roxas for a moment.

The pace speeded up, in-out in-out, and Axel stroked the blonde with every thrust as pale, slender hands gripped his shoulders. They dug into the mattress, making the feathers bunch, but neither of them cared. There was only the moment, the flex and push of flesh against flesh. The heat that was building between them, demanding an exit…

Axel knew when Roxas was close, as those pale fingers dug into his shoulders painfully. The blonde's eyes were wide open now, and his cock twitched in the redhead's hand before he clenched tightly. The redhead's balls tightened as he neared his own completion and he couldn't delay the moment any longer. He spent himself inside the blonde just as Roxas came, his fluids shooting over them both. For a moment they stayed that way, still locked intimately with each other, their eyes meeting. The fire of lust was gone, replaced with something warmer and gentler. Not love, not yet, but… affection.

Then Axel slowly pulled away, breaking the moment. Roxas sighed, settling back into the pillows and half-closing his eyes again. He felt so tired now, so very tired. But perhaps he should go back to his room? He'd had encounters like that before. But the redhead was leaning over him, and gentle lips found his throat for an intimate kiss.

"Goodnight Roxas." Axel murmured and Roxas sighed at the answer to his question, letting his eyes slip closed.

He was glad he'd accepted that drink.


	2. Battle for the Wall

The next morning dawned, but it was barely noticeable inside Axel's rooms. The sunlight was weak and watery, barely filtering through the heavily bubbled glass. Axel shifted slightly, and his bracer came into contact with Roxas' skin, waking the blonde.

For a moment, Roxas wasn't sure where he was. Then he relaxed as he remembered the night before. But what had woken him? Twisting around, he saw Axel's arm across his waist and the bracer snug against his skin. Roxas lifted his eyebrows as he realized that Axel hadn't removed them the night before. He'd worn bracers a few times, and they weren't terribly comfortable, so that was strange. Studying it more closely, he could see it appeared to be gold banded with silver, and it was as fine as it was simple. Lips quirking, he tapped the side of his head and spoke the spell for True Sight.

The bracer stayed exactly as it was, but Roxas drew a surprised breath as it glowed a brilliant purple. Only very strong magical items reacted that way to True Sight. Shutting down the spell, he wondered what the bracers did for Axel that was so important he wouldn't remove them even to sleep. Or had he just forgotten in the moment?

"Hey." Roxas gently poked the redhead in the shoulder. He was getting hungry, and he was willing to bet the redhead had some cheese left in his bag of holding. But Roxas wasn't about to go searching through that. Even if it wasn't booby trapped, the magic likely wouldn't answer properly to him. He could end up pulling out anything and Roxas wasn't eager to see what Axel might be carrying around.

"Just a bit more time…" The redhead mumbled before burying his head against Roxas' shoulder. Roxas shook his head and gently tried to disentangle himself. "Hey!"

"I need some food and I need to pee." He said quietly but insistent. Axel blinked, then yawned and let go.

"Chamber pots under the bed. I'll see what I can do for food." He said. Roxas took care of his needs as Axel went into the living room. "Oh wonderful!" Roxas glanced up as Axel stepped back into the bedroom. He was wearing his pants now and holding four apples. "I'd forgotten I had these. They're magically preserved, we can eat them with the cheese."

"Perfect." That would make an excellent breakfast, and one he wouldn't have to pay for, which was always important. Roxas found his own pants and pulled them on, following Axel back out to the living room. There was a small table near the other window, with four chairs. He took a seat and Axel sat across from him, pulling out a small knife from his belt and slicing up the fruits quickly. Roxas laid a thick slice of cheese on top and took a bite before speaking. "Thank you for this." Really, he owed Axel a meal now. The redhead waved it away.

"It's nothing." They munched in silence for a while before Roxas decided to ask the question that had been preying on his mind.

"Axel, those bracers. I can tell they're magical, what do they do exactly?" He was quite curious now. Axel shrugged, then grinned.

"Nothing!" Roxas blinked at him and the redhead went on. "Except give me an aura of charisma. It's part of why I'm so irresistible, but it doesn't work very well on fellow magic users, so don't feel used." Roxas hadn't been feeling used at all, but was still glad to know that. "It's actually an Artifact."

"Really?" Roxas was impressed but puzzled. Artifacts were ancient magical items, more powerful than almost anything produced currently. Largely because most of them had required immense blood sacrifices. He'd never seen one in the flesh before. "But it doesn't do anything?" That was odd. Artifacts could usually do something amazing or horrifying. Axel nodded as he sliced another piece of cheese.

"I found them on a bandit I killed. They were gorgeous and I checked them for curses, came up negative, so I put them on. Then I found out I couldn't take them off." Axel made a face and tugged at one of the bracers before lifting his arm so Roxas could see the back. To his surprise, there were no buckles or leather, just unbroken metal. "It wasn't like that when I put it on. Anyway, I went back to the academy and they checked me out thoroughly. Except for making me more desirable, which can be a damned nuisance, they don't do anything. The theories are they might require a command word or secondary Artifact, or they might actually be a kind of key to a greater Artifact, one that was probably destroyed somewhere along the line." Axel shrugged again. "They're highly resistant to any divination magic, so it will just have to stay a mystery."

"Huh. How are they a nuisance? Did a jealous barmaid take a pan to your head?" Roxas meant it as a joke, but Axel grimaced.

"Close, she took a pool cue to my groin – don't laugh at me!" But Axel was laughing too, and Roxas smiled. He could just imagine that happening. "I was limping for a week."

"Poor baby." Roxas smiled as he finished one apple and started on the next. They were really very good, sweet and tart and full of juice. "So what are you doing here?" This was a city-state and quite rich off the salt trade, so maybe Axel was just finding random customers until something big came up. Or maybe he already had a big customer.

"I can't tell you." The redhead sounded regretful and Roxas looked up sharply. He definitely had a big client then. "But you'll know in a few days."

"That sounds ominous. Are you going to loot the Doge's palace?" Roxas asked and Axel laughed.

"Even for me, that would be ambitious! He has…" The redhead paused and Roxas frowned, glancing around. There was a strange whistling noise… "Get down!" Roxas yelped as Axel tossed the table out of the way – he was strong! – and tackled him to the ground.

The window exploded, showering them both with glass, and Roxas cursed as he shielded his face. Then he stared wide-eyed at the huge wooden bolt stuck into the wall across from them. It was vibrating from the force of the impact, and had gotten halfway through the wall. If it had hit either of them, they would have been paste.

"It seems my timeline was a little off." Axel said with an almost preternatural calm as a spark of blue appeared in the air before him.

_It's beginning. Take your position on the East wall._ Axel glanced cautiously out the ruined window and snorted as the spark disappeared.

"I noticed. Don't you think you could have given us a bit more warning? How quickly do armies move, anyway?" Axel was muttering imprecations as he helped Roxas to his feet. The blonde hesitated, then followed the mage as he pulled on all his clothes. "Did they use an invisibility spell to get close before we noticed? Hell, it could even be possible, it's not like our scryer has the brains of a turnip." Roxas had to quickly pull his clothes on and almost run after the redhead. Axel was clearly in a hurry to get to his position. For a moment, he considered abandoning the mage and finding a good cellar to hide in, but then dismissed the idea. He wanted to know what was happening.

"Axel." Roxas gasped out and the redhead looked back before slowing his pace slightly. His longer legs could easily make two strides for every one of Roxas'. "What's going on? Who's attacking?" He hadn't been in town for long and knew almost nothing of the politics of the area. Axel flashed him a quick smile.

"Necromancers are, actually." Roxas' mouth dropped as the redhead started up the steps leading up to the top of the wall. It suddenly occurred to him that this was why Axel had set up shop in that little tavern. It was very close to the east wall. "Hired by Mithras Galaghas of Teliti, a necromancer himself – he's with me!" Axel bellowed at a guardsman, who was leveling a crossbow at Roxas.

"We don't need spies on the wall." The man was looking at Roxas with undisguised disgust. Roxas just met his gaze calmly. He was used to it, after all. Axel gave him a hard glare.

"He's a journeyman necromancer, no affiliation with Mithras, and I hired him to assist me. Do you have a problem with that?" He said crisply and Roxas wondered what he'd be paid. He wasn't expensive, but apples and cheese were still a bit low. The guard hesitated a moment.

"He's your responsibility, then." The man finally said before letting them mount the final stairs. Axel leaned against the dark stone and gazed out over the field. Like most castles, all the trees and brush were cleared out near the walls. Roxas followed him and swallowed hard. There was an army of undead, the first such thing he had ever seen.

"How did he get permission to raise so many?" Roxas knew he sounded appalled, but couldn't help it. There was no real way to raise so many dead without resorting to grave robbing.

"He didn't need to. A king or ruler of a single city technically 'owns' all the graves, and can do what they like with them. There's a very long precedent." Axel said before he began muttering the words to a spell. Roxas nodded. He'd heard of Necromancers being hired by Kings to do things like this, but he hadn't really applied it to a single city. Taking a deep breath, he centered himself. If Axel was hiring him to help, he was going to do what he could to earn his apples.

With his eyes closed, Roxas tried to feel the flows of life and death. As always, it took him several moments of meditation before the flows began to appear in his mind. What finally took whorls and designs of cold blue death power, but not the deep red he associated with blood magic. Roxas was glad of that but also dismayed, because it meant the army was being held by the personal power of the Necromancers. He carefully separated the different strands of power in his mind, and came to the conclusion there were eight or nine separate Necromancers. That was really quite a lot to have gathered in one place. Turning his attention to the wall, he felt the brighter sparks of magery. Axel burned like a fire, and Roxas marveled at his power for a moment before examining the other sparks. There were only four of them, but that might be enough. Mages commanded the devastating powers of the elements.

There was a sudden cheer and he opened his eyes to see a siege tower and dozens of undead in flames. As he watched, the structure fell over, and he realized a great hole had been blown in the side. More dead spilled out from the tower and caught fire in the carnage.

"Delayed fireball. They'll know I'm here, but not exactly where on the wall." Axel explained and Roxas nodded.

"There's about nine or ten necromancers out there." He supplied and Axel grimaced.

"That many? Ach. How many of them are any good?" He asked Roxas half-closed his eyes and concentrated again. A mage couldn't do this. They weren't sensitive to the power of life and death in the same way as a necromancer.

"Five of them are possibly more powerful than me. The other four definitely aren't." He said after a moment. Roxas knew he was gifted in his profession, but power built up over time and he hadn't been practicing long. "I'll start working on it." Closing his eyes completely, Roxas dropped back into a trance.

In the dreamy world of power and magic, he sought to undermine the control of the enemy necromancers. He concentrated on the weakest, since they would be the least likely to notice him and the least likely to effectively strike back. There was one in particular who was faltering, buckling under the strain of holding the reins to so many undead. Roxas hesitated a moment. He knew what would happen if he struck hard. His rival would lose control and the undead would turn on him. But Roxas also knew what would happen if this monstrous horde broke into the city. Once the dead were raised from the grave, they needed to feast on the living to remain. There was no way the necromancers would be able to keep them from running amok within the city. Bracing himself, Roxas struck hard and brutally, severing the man's connection to his undead minion. He cringed a little as the wavering flame of cold power flickered and died. Then he sensed one of the greater sparks noticing him and hurriedly broke the trance.

Roxas swayed on his feet, feeling slightly ill. Then he blinked, realizing that the battle had been going on without him. Axel was sweating, his face shiny as he took a long drink of water from a canteen. Glancing over the wall, Roxas saw the mage had been busy. There were numerous, smoking craters on the ground and plenty of charred corpses. The wall in front of them was coated in ice and Roxas grimaced as he saw someone had managed to pinpoint the mage. But fortunately, it looked like everyone had survived.

"They've pulled back. Any luck on your end?" Axel asked as a guardsman passed him a cloth. "Thank you." He used it to wipe his face and neck as Roxas nodded.

"There's one less necromancer now. But the more powerful ones know I'm here." That would hinder him from now on. He couldn't afford a direct confrontation. "How have things been going for you?" He asked cautiously. Axel seemed worn down. The redhead shrugged before passing him the canteen.

"Good enough. These were probing attacks, trying to figure out what section of the wall is weakest." Axel glanced out over the carnage. "They won't try me again, or Darian. It will be Kit or Refra. That's the North and West." He elaborated as Roxas shot him a questioning look. "They're the weakest."

"Um." Roxas hesitated. He didn't know a single thing about wars, but he decided to venture an opinion. "Wouldn't it have been better to pretend to be weak to get them to attack a strong point?" That made sense to him, although the enemy might anticipate it. Axel shrugged.

"I suggested that, but the Doge and his council ignored me. That's the problem with being a hireling. People want your skills, but they don't really want any input." Axel opened his bag of holding and pulled out his bag of boiled sweets. "Candy?" Roxas accepted one, popping it in his mouth and sucking on it as Axel offered them to the nearby guards. Everyone was willing to take one. "Of course, they might have a reason. Maybe they figure there's enough spies that the Necro's would be onto us, who knows."

"This is a trade city, isn't it? There probably is." Roxas said after a moment. It was very hard to keep people out when you wanted to do trade. Axel leaned back against the wall, sucking his candy, and Roxas took a moment to look around. The wall was made of dark grey stone and very utilitarian. Even crude, perhaps. Roxas wondered uneasily how it would do in a protracted conflict and was glad Axel was very good with fireballs. It would be hard for the enemy to get catapults within range of the fortifications with him here.

There was a shout down the wall and Axel jerked upright as Roxas gasped. There was a huge, monstrous _thing_ heading directly for the gate! It had tremendous arms and ran like a great ape, using them to move. He'd never seen anything like it before, but it only had one eye, and that clued him in on the species.

"Where in Chaos' name did they get a Cyclops? Excuse me!" Roxas quickly moved aside as Axel shouldered past, pounding down the stairs. He followed, wondering if the monster could really break down the gate. That question was answered with the screech and crash of rending wood and metal. The only difficulty the monster had was the height of the gates. It had to squeeze through the wreckage, and it roared again as several crossbow bolts penetrated its scaly hide. Roxas noticed that crowding behind it was a group of undead. Of course, they would try to take advantage of the breech. He hesitated for a moment, then cast cold shield on Axel. It was a basic spell that all journeymen learned, but it required constant concentration. Roxas hadn't learned the trick yet of maintaining it while casting other spells, so he stood back to let Axel handle things.

And he was amazed as the redhead muttered a quick spell as the Cyclops began to charge him. The monster howled and slipped crazily, causing Axel to run out of the way like his tail was on fire. Which was good, because if he hadn't moved the creature would have flattened him purely by accident. As it was, the monster crashed into a house and proceeded to completely demolish it as it struggled out of the wreckage. It roared as Axel cast a spell Roxas had never seen before, some kind of acid bolt that ate into its horny skin. The blonde realized the Cyclops must be resistant to fire, or the redhead would be using fireballs. As he thought that he saw the necromancer and undead were trying to reach him. The guards were slowing them, but…

"Axel, behind you!" Roxas tried to keep his cold shield up as he cast a frost bolt at the rival necromancer. The man cursed and blocked it, replying with a bolt that Roxas dodged. Dodging was harder to do but if you could, it was much easier on the power levels. Axel turned and took a look before turning his attention back to the Cyclops. The guards were too tangled up with the undead to let him use a fireball, so he'd have to leave it to them.

Just then there was a wicked whine, and a ballista bolt hit the Cyclops. Not one of the enemies, it was from someone on the wall, and Roxas blessed their presence of mind. The monster roared and yanked at the bolt, tearing it free with a welter of gore before winding back and throwing it towards the wall. Fortunately, its aim was poor and the bolt hit the hard stone before shattering.

Axel's next spell was electrical based, and Roxas realized he was cycling through the elements, trying to find something that would harm the creature. But the lightning had no effect. Roxas blocked a frost bolt from the other necromancer almost absently and dropped into a trance, fighting the man for control of his zombies. He thought the man would have been stronger than him earlier in the day, but by now his strength was waning.

Then he dropped back out of his trance as he heard a scream. Axel's shields flared as the Cyclops managed a glancing blow with one huge fist. The impact threw the mage away, but not really far enough and the monster roared in triumph.

"No!" Roxas shouted and tossed a cold bolt at the Cyclops. To his surprise, the effect was immediate. The monster howled in pain as the icy power dug deeply into its tough hide. He quickly followed it with a second, and got lucky as it hit the Cyclops in the face. The monster screamed piteously then, blinded and clawing at its skin. A few brave, although perhaps suicidal guards took advantage of the moment to go after the monster with spears. Roxas turned back just in time to block another cold bolt and rejoin his struggle with the other necromancer.

Roxas allowed himself to go deeper into his trance, and was surprised when suddenly over half the undead he was trying to control vanished. Coming back to reality, he saw the flaming remains of a fireball and one guard running away, screaming with his clothes on fire. Roxas winced, but that sort of thing happened, and now the horde of undead cramming through the ruined gate was clear. Only temporarily though… but then to his surprise, great vines began to grow over the gate. They looked particularly vicious, covered with thorns and a greyish slime, and they grew with astonishing speed until the entire gate was blocked. That was no spell he'd ever heard of and the other necromancer cursed as he realized he was cut off. It was all over then, although destroying the zombies and killing the man took a bit of time. The guards weren't interested in taking prisoners, and Roxas couldn't really blame them.

"Help me up to the battlements!" Axel. He was ordering one of the guards who had helped kill the Cyclops, and the man hurried to obey. Roxas realized the redhead's face was covered in sweat and he looked very pale and unwell. He gasped slightly at every step.

"Should you be moving – oh." Glancing up at the battlements he realized the guards were sorely pressed. While they had been distracted by the Cyclops, the undead army had launched a full out attack on the wall. And it wasn't even mostly undead this time. The undead were disposable fighters, meant to be thrown away to wear the enemy down. With a breach in the wall and a Cyclops causing havoc, the necromancer lord had sent in his human army.

Of course, as soon as Axel reached the battlements he began causing havoc again. Fireballs and siege towers were a poor mix, and he soon began to turn the tide in favor of the defenders. Roxas guarded him against cold bolts, and there were plenty of them. Dropping into a trance he realized all the necromancers in the battlefield had gathered here for a final push. But with the breach sealed and Axel back on the wall, it was doomed to defeat and they finally pulled back. There was a cheer from the defenders as the other army began to quit the field, leaving their dead behind.

"Is it over, do you think?" Roxas asked Axel but then was alarmed as the redhead tried to answer and coughed blood. "Axel!" He gripped the taller man's shoulder as Axel fished out a vial from his bag and drank it quickly.

"Hope so." He rasped out and looked at one of the guardsmen. "Someone get a message to Darian. Tell him I'm done." Then the redhead sat down heavily, more of a controlled fall as Roxas helped him down.

"Do we have a medic up here?" The blonde shouted as he tried to figure out exactly what the Cyclops had done. One light touch of Axel's chest made the redhead moan in pain, and Roxas cringed a little as he realized it was broken ribs. And if there was blood in his mouth, a lung might be punctured. Bones couldn't be healed quickly, even with magery… they were too slow growing… but soft tissue damage was another matter. Hopefully with three other mages available, Axel would be fine.

Hopefully.


End file.
